U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Arizona Tuesday to discuss the Biden-Harris Administration’s Western Wildfire Mitigation Strategy.
Vilsack planned to meet with U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore about a strategy to protection Arizona and other Western states from the impact of catastrophic wildfires.
The agencies plan to launch a comprehensive response to increasingly catastrophic wildfires, particularly in Western states.
According to the USDA, the Forest Service will work with the Department of the Interior, Tribes, states, private landowners and others to more strategically implement science-based forest health treatments.
The strategy highlights new research on high risk “firesheds” – large, forested areas with a high probability of wildfire exposure to homes, communities, infrastructure and natural resources. Firesheds are typically about 250,000 acres in size.
Earlier, Vilsack joined Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly in Glendale to meet with ranchers in Glendale to discuss better market opportunities for famers, ranchers and consumers.
According to a press release, Vilsack says President Biden’s recently unveiled Action Plan will expand and strengthen rules that protect farmers and ranchers and increase transparency in the cattle market.